advice for 3.14 and 3.5 VGAPLANETS COLONIZATION: ------------- never colonize with less the 15 clans and 4 supplies your colony wont grow at all if you do. if you do do that...your just gonna have to waste time bring more clans out to the planet, and that whole time it wont have done anything for you. if the planet has bovine natives dont put supplies down...save them, the bovines make them for free for you. NEVER waste cash for colonization just use supplies. if you use cash you have to stop for 2 turns over the planet to drop it, this wastes LOTS of time and no one can afford that... a colony does better if you put 25 or more clans on it and at least 16 supplies. SUPPLIES: --------- never use ALL of your supplies if you can, leave some every turn...you never know when you'll have a revolt or a meteor strike screw your colony. NEVER use all your supplies on a desert or artic world you'll get screwed for sure if you do. TAXES: ------ only tax your homeworld citizens never tax your colony citizens. SHIPS and EQUIPMENT: -------------------- of the first 10 ships you build 6-7 should be freighters and 1 freighter should be 100% dedicated to ferry service of minerals and cash. DONT EVER buy any engines less then tech 8...UNLESS it stays at a starbase and its going to be a minelayer/guard or a alchemy ship. TRY not to buy anything less then tech 5 for weapons and torps. it really makes a difference. CASH: ----- if your HOST is generous with cash and you get 10,000+ NEVER spend it all at your homeworld starbase your homeworld will generate enough cash and supplies to quickly build you tech levels and starships for you, try and get by with tech 5 for hulls, weapons, torps and tech 10 engines. you really want to save 2000+ for 2 new starbases, once you get 3 starbases you'll expand so much faster and can respond so much quicker to invasions. DEFENSE: -------- unless your in a game with more then 5 players i wouldn't build defense posts until you see enemy vessels. of course defend your starbase normally any time. HOSTS: ------ yes LARGE meteors are great and very realistic but they generally ruin(end) the game for someone...and its all about playing against each other...not a meteor....dont use them.... allow tech 7 starbases...the game starts quicker... dont allow a human player to play the cyborgs... games with more then 6 human players really suck... i found with 6 players you'll have less chance of quitters... classic in a circle layout and random placement order is best... solo games: i've never won VS more then 3 computer players...good luck and i have NEVER won when the cyborgs play. my records: ----------- human: 2 wins 2 loses 7 abandoned games due to multiple players quitting solo: 5 wins 17 loses most of the loses came when i had more then 3 computer players